Burning with nervousness and he forgetting his personal starvation and thirst, he ran again across the hills and valleys. Oftentimes he leaped up a tall tree, a hill peak or steep slope, seeking to all instructions. The empty mountain was quiet, the one noise got here from the crows flying house for the night time. Circling round towards the again of the Shaoshi Peak, he nonetheless didn’t see Zhao Min. “No matter occurs,” he mused, “I’ll all the time be devoted to you. Even when I’ve to go to the top of the earth or the nook of the ocean, I’ll discover you.”

As soon as he made this determination, his thoughts calmed down. Trying towards the northeast he noticed two massive locust bushes grew facet by facet, towering excessive from a crevasse on the facet of the mountain. Leaping up the tree, he discovered a big department prolonged horizontally and lied down on this department. After toiling for the entire day and going through many unexpected incidents, he fell asleep not too lengthy after he lied down.

Towards the nighttime, in his sleep he instantly heard light footsteps from a number of dozens ‘zhang’s away, which made him get up with a begin. By this time, the spherical vibrant moon had already slanting towards the western sky. Below the moonlight, he noticed on the hillside, there was a shadow floating speedily to the south. That particular person’s determine was slender with a slim waist; clearly, the shadow belonged to a girl.

In his nice delight, he practically known as ‘Min Mei’; however he instantly realized one thing was not proper. The lady’s determine was taller than Zhao Min, her ‘qing gong’ was totally totally different from Zhao Min’s, though her velocity was inferior to Zhou Zhiruo’s, her steps have been lighter and livelier. His curiosity was piqued. “This girl wanders alone within the deep of the night time, I’m wondering what’s it she is doing?” he mused.

At first he thought that he didn’t have any enterprise to meddle with no matter this girl was doing, however then he thought, “Who is aware of? Maybe I’ll discover Min Mei’s whereabouts from this girl. If she has nothing to do with Min Mei, then I’ll slip out quietly, no hurt completed. I need to not let any clue off simply.” Thereupon he acquired up from the tree department and quietly slipped down.

Afraid that the girl may detect his presence, he didn’t dare to get too shut. Moreover, by stalking a younger woman – a complete stranger for that matter – in the course of the night time, it may be tough for him to keep away from frivolous suspicions from others.

He observed that the girl was sporting black garments, and she or he certainly was heading towards the Shaolin Temple. “Though she has nothing to do with Min Mei, she have to be performing some clandestine exercise associated to the Wulin world,” he thought, “If her intention will not be helpful to Shaolin, I need to intervene.” He halted his steps to hear, and didn’t hear every other folks close by, so he knew that this girl didn’t have anyone supporting her.

Strolling for concerning the time wanted to eat a bowl of rice, that girl had by no means turned her head round. Zhang Wuji had a obscure feeling that this girl regarded considerably acquainted, as if he had seen her someplace earlier than. “Is she Miss Wu Qingying? Or one of many Emei Pai feminine disciples?”

A number of ‘li’s later, Shaolin Temple was already in sight. The lady turned towards the facet of the hill, approaching the Temple from the facet. All of a sudden she slowed down her steps and moved surreptitiously among the many bushes and the mountain rocks. It was apparent that she was afraid somebody may see her.

All of a sudden he heard clear ringing noise coming from the primary corridor of the Shaolin Temple, adopted by the sound of chanting of a number of hundred Buddhist monks. Zhang Wuji was tremendously puzzled, “Shaolin monks are nonetheless chanting sutra deep into the night time, and there are a whole bunch of them. Is there an vital ceremony occurring?” he mused.

The lady in entrance of him proceeded much more stealthily. A number of dozens ‘zhang’s extra, she would have reached the facet of the primary corridor. All of a sudden there have been mild footsteps. The lady shortly ducked among the many thick patch of grass. 4 Shaolin monks with sabers and Buddhist staffs have been patrolling across the Temple. The lady waited for the 4 monks to cross earlier than standing up, and leaped towards the shutter by the primary corridor. Her leap was as mild as flying cotton wool; her ‘qing gong’ was really top-notch among the many Wulin characters. Zhang Wuji observed that she didn’t carry any weapon, plus she was alone; therefore he believed it was unlikely that she got here to Shaolin Temple to create hassle. He needed to know who the girl was, whether or not she was a pal or a foe; due to this fact, crouching behind her, he crept towards the northwest nook of the primary corridor.

He realized that he was in a really awkward state of affairs. Somebody of his place snooping across the Temple in the course of the night time, if he was detected by a Shaolin monk, though the opposite get together may feign ignorance, he will be unable to keep away from dropping an excessive amount of face. And thus he was twice extra cautious; every step he took and every motion was as nimble as a cat stalking a mouse.

By this time, the chanting contained in the corridor was getting louder. Peeking from a crack on the window, he noticed a whole bunch of monks organized in neat rows, all sitting on spherical meditation mats, all sporting yellow Buddhist robes, draped in scarlet and gold kasayas. A few of them have been holding ceremonial articles of their palms; the remainder of them clasped their palms along with heads hung low, loudly chanting the sutras. It gave the impression of they have been providing prayers to ship departing souls crossing into the netherworld. Zhang Wuji understood instantly. “Within the Nice Hero Meeting this time, there weren’t just a few folks misplaced their lives. Throughout the Yuan military assault up the mountain, much more folks from either side perished. Subsequently, the Temple monks are holding this ceremony tonight in order that the useless will probably be reborn fortunately.”

He noticed that Reverend Kong Wen was standing in entrance of the sacrificial desk. There was a younger girl standing on his proper. As quickly as Zhang Wuji noticed her, he was barely shocked, since that younger girl was none aside from Zhou Zhiruo. Though he may solely see her from the facet, he may inform that her expression undoubtedly confirmed grieve and misery; her fairly eyebrows have been deeply wrinkled, as if she was harboring a deep sorrow.

“That have to be it,” Zhang Wuji thought, “The explanation Zhiruo kneeled down in entrance of Kong Wen Dashi this afternoon have to be to ask him to carry this Buddhist ceremony. I suppose she is repenting from her conduct and deeds. The innocents who lose their lives beneath her claw and her sword are just too many.”

Focusing his eyes, he tried to learn the memorial tablets organized on the sacrificial desk. To his nice shock, one of many tablets learn ‘nu xia Yin Li zhi ling wei’, seven characters [the memorial tablet of Heroine Yin Li]. Zhang Wuji felt a stab of ache in his coronary heart, remembering how throughout her quick and depressing life his cousin had all the time passionately dedicated to him; he couldn’t assist from shedding some tears.

Amidst the ringing of chime stones and the tapping of picket fish, Zhou Zhiruo gracefully kneeled down and bowed to the bottom, whereas her lips have been shifting in quiet prayer. ZhangWuji raised up his ‘shen gong’ [divine strength] attempting to take heed to what she mentioned. This was what he heard, “Miss Yin … your spirit in Heaven … relaxation in peace … don’t come to harass me …”

Zhang Wuji tightened his grip on the wall whereas disquieting ideas stuffed his thoughts. “Biaomei misplaced her life beneath her sword, little question it was a merciless destiny; however the torment inside Zhiruo’s coronary heart, the ache she is struggling, may not essentially be lighter than Biaomei’s. All of a sudden from the ocean of ideas in his thoughts a music surged up, the music he heard on the Brightness Peak, sung by the Ming Cult folks, “What pleasure is in life, what ache in demise? I pity the mankind, with their many sufferings! I pity the mankind, with their many sufferings!”